Adrian Coles, Simon Hughes, Mark Richmond, Stuart Vanstone, Liam Evans, Darren Parrott, Kyle Darlington & Nathan Evans make up the self-formed Cardiff to Utrecht Team. All are keen cyclists and were looking to do something different to raise funds and support the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity.

Adrian says “Having completed London to Paris in 2012, I was keen for another challenge but one that stretched me further and the idea was born to ride from Cardiff to the start of the Tour de France 2015 which ironically starts in Utrecht, Holland. The work Noah’s Ark undertakes is fantastic and that is why we have chosen to represent them as the majority of the riders are parents of young children and the support these children require is vital and we want to help!”

By taking part, the Cardiff2Utrecht Team hope to raise £15,000 to help the Noah’s Ark Charity buy specialist pieces of equipment for the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales.

The intrepid band of cyclists will be setting off from the magnificent back drop of the Millennium Stadium on Tuesday 30th June and hope to make the journey to Holland in just 4 days, arriving just in time for the Tour de France.

Like most first time mums Sian Price was looking forward to the birth of her first child. She’d had a normal pregnancy and everything had been going to plan. But after an emergency C-section on the 1st of November 2009, their beautiful little boy Evan did not seem quite right.

“He was blue in appearance and didn’t seem interested in feeding at all” said Sian. After initial tests, it was clear that Evan had low levels of oxygen in his blood and that something was seriously wrong. Further tests were needed to discover what the problem was. After what felt like hours, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist Dr Obed Onuzo spoke with Sian’s husband before going to tell Sian that Evan had Transposition of the Great Arteries and would need open heart surgery.

“It felt like my whole world was falling apart” said Sian. “This had been a normal pregnancy. Nothing had showed up on the scans and there was no family history of heart problems. I had never heard of the condition. It was a total shock”.

Very quickly a plan was put into action and a team from the Paediatric Cardiac Service came over from Bristol. As paediatric open heart surgery is not performed in Wales, Evan had to be transferred to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Sian said “Dr Obed Onuzo was very compassionate. He explained everything in lay man’s terms and told me that essentially the plumbing of Evan’s heart was wrong and that his arteries had to be switched. What made things difficult was that as I’d had a C-section I had to remain in Cardiff to recover myself”. For the next 3 agonising days Sian would have to rely on updates from her husband and family.

In Bristol little Evan was on 24hr life support and at 9 days old had his major operation. The wait whilst Evan was in surgery was unbearable and later in PICU (paediatric intensive care unit) all the family could do was hope Evan would recover. The operation was successful and after just over a week he was well enough to be transferred to the Cardiac Ward in Bristol. After a further week he returned to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales where he would remain for a further 8 days before the family were told they could go home.

“To be going home with Evan was amazing but it was also very scary. There was a huge responsibility on us without the experts around” said Sian. They had their son back but they also had an arm full of medication that they needed to give him. Whilst at the Children’s Hospital for Wales, Evan was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, a heartbeat irregularity. The doctors brought the situation under control with medication. Evan’s parents were given stethoscope training to check his heart rate several times a day for the first year of his life. “The hospital was a huge support for us even after we had gone home. We knew we could call if we were worried at all. The whole team was amazing. It was down to the quick diagnosis at birth, and the collaborative working between the Cardiff and Bristol teams that means Evan is here today” said Sian.

Before his first birthday Evan came off all his medication and now enjoys a typical 5 year old child’s life. “Evan has annual check-ups but everyone is delighted with his recovery. He knows he had a “baddy heart” and there will be a lot we need to explain to him as he grows up, but his case is an example of how the surgery should be done; he has had very few side effects. When we tell people at school who didn’t know us before his treatment they can’t believe what Evan has been through: he’s such a normal little 5 year old boy.”

Sian and her family have shown their appreciation to staff at the hospital by regularly sending photos and updates to those involved in his care as well as fundraising for the Noah’s Ark Charity.

When Sian’s employer Finance Wales asked staff which charity they’d like to nominate for fundraising, Sian knew exactly who she felt deserved the money. “They saved our son’s life. I was so delighted when my colleagues voted to support the Noah’s Ark Charity. Together we have raised over £4,000 which will go towards vital equipment for the hospital. I think it’s brilliant that Finance Wales supports fundraising for charitable causes as part of its responsible business strategy”.

Knapdog, Libby and The Fox have loaded their bikes and are setting off to John O’Groats, with their little Honda C90′s for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity. Sadly Billy the Fix is most unwell and is unable to make the trip. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Our now 3 Old Fogeys will travel the traditional distance of 874 miles, on their little bikes, accompanied by their mascot, Roger. Watch out for Roger, enroute and follow our fundraiser on their journey. Hopefully, they’ll be checking in along the way and updating us on the progress and their fundraising. To date almost £1,000 has been donated online, with more donated via traditional sponsor forms.

We hope that the weather is kind to them and they have a safe journey. Good luck Duncan, Philip and Howard. See you on the other side!

After a fantastic weekend with Dame Shirley Bassey visiting the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, it was realised there was a mistake in the sign and it didn’t comply with the UHB Welsh Language Policy. This was extremely disappointing for all concerned and immediate action has been taken to rectify this. A new sign is being ordered which gives equal prominence to Welsh and English.The following link contains a statement from the Cardiff & Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, explaining and apologising for the error: http://www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk/news/37710

Geoff Walsh, Assistant Director of Planning, Capital, Estates & Operational Services said:
“Initially, the sign was translated correctly, however, during the final stage of design human error resulted in the incorrect transfer of the wording onto the order. We apologise for this mistake and will be replacing the sign once manufactured in the next two weeks.”

]]>http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/uncategorized/charlotte-church-introduces-phase-two-of-noahs-ark/feed/0Only Men Aloud New Celebrity Ambassadorshttp://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/uncategorized/only-men-aloud-new-celebrity-ambassadors/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=only-men-aloud-new-celebrity-ambassadors
http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/uncategorized/only-men-aloud-new-celebrity-ambassadors/#commentsTue, 19 May 2015 12:03:46 +0000noahsarkhttp://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/?p=3380We are delighted to announce that Only Men Aloud will become Celebrity Ambassadors for the Charity. At our Gala Lunch on Friday to celebrate the official opening of Phase Two of the hospital, the charity announced the partnership.

‘Only Men Aloud is delighted to be supporting the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity as our chosen charitable partner. The work they do is truly inspirational and fundamental to ensuring that Wales has the very best facility of this kind. We’ve followed the work of the charity and the development of the Children’s Hospital for several years now, and hope that we can contribute to the cause in any way we can’.

Noah’s Ark Charity Director Suzanne Mainwaring said “It is fantastic to have Only Men Aloud on board. The charitable work they have done over the years is inspiring. They will bring a new energy to the charity and we are looking forward to future fundraising together”.

Well Friday was an incredibly special day for the hospital and the charity. The First Minister Carwyn Jones and the Charity’s Patron Diane Briere de L’Isle-Engelhardt officially opened the building in front of patients, staff and VIPs, while the Noah’s Ark Angels sang ‘from above’ welcoming everybody into the hospital.

In his speech the First Minister described the opening of the second phase of the hospital as an “historic occasion” for young patients across the country.

He said: “When I look around this building, I try to find the words to describe it – but the main word I always come back to is ‘wow’…I remember what children’s hospitals used to look like. Mine used to be housed in the old Bridgend work house. There was no light, no space and it was a difficult place for staff to work in. This new building will help deliver the spirit, welcoming atmosphere and treatment these children need”.

He added “There are fewer facilities better in Europe than this hospital – and it will treat children as far north as Aberystwyth.” During his speech he announced an additional £1.2 million pounds would be made available for the hospital to buy specialist equipment.

Our charity Patron Charlotte Church was also there to witness the official opening and speak to patients. She said it was “incredibly humbling” to see how the staff operated.

“I have been involved with Noah’s Ark since I was 14, and it’s amazing to come here….It’s hard sometimes and gives you perspective on life, but the work they do here is just immense…If anything ever happened to any of our children, then there’s this amazing, state-of-the-art, world-class facility here.”

After the official ceremony, guests were invited to the Noah’s Ark Gala Lunch where they were entertained with food and performance by new celebrity ambassadors for the charity - Only Men Aloud.

Noah’s Ark Charity Director Suzanne Mainwaring said “It is fantastic to have Only Men Aloud on board. The charitable work they have done over the years is inspiring. They will bring a new energy to the charity and we are looking forward to future fundraising together”.

]]>http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/news/official-opening-of-phase-two/feed/0Four Old Fogeys – End to Endhttp://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/news/latest-news/four-old-fogeys-end-to-end/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=four-old-fogeys-end-to-end
http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/news/latest-news/four-old-fogeys-end-to-end/#commentsThu, 14 May 2015 14:50:29 +0000noahsarkhttp://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/?p=3344

On Tuesday 17th, June, 2015, Duncan, Billy, Philip and Howard (otherwise known as Knapdog, Billyfix, Libby and The Fox) will be setting off from John O’Groats to Land’s End on little Honda C90′s for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity.

These little motorcycles are not known for their comfort or speed. In fact, these vehicles get you to places in a little discomfort, slowly, which is why it’s going to take nine days. The bikes have been renovated and are ready to go and the team’s geared up for all sorts of weather (well, nearly all). KnapDog, Billyfix, Libby and The Dog, are more or less retired and see this adventure as a bit of a challenge for four old fogeys who are getting on a bit (their words).

They’ve been rugby players, hockey players, water skiers, snow skiers, cyclists and sailors, cricketers, card sharks, joggers and swimmers. They’ve played snooker, bowls and darts but also hope to be pretty good at raising money for the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity, helping those in need of special care and attention so that they can get better and lead full, happy and active lives.

]]>http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/news/latest-news/four-old-fogeys-end-to-end/feed/0Lucy Owen Backs Our Campaignhttp://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/uncategorized/lucy-owen-backs-our-campaign/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lucy-owen-backs-our-campaign
http://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/uncategorized/lucy-owen-backs-our-campaign/#commentsMon, 11 May 2015 13:45:12 +0000noahsarkhttp://www.noahs-ark-appeal.org/?p=3338To celebrate the official opening of Phase Two of the hospital, all week we are raising money for our ‪#‎NACHFW‬ campaign. Every day a Welsh celebrity will be sending a message of support to patients and staff. Please watch this space and donate if you can.

BBC Wales’ Lucy Owen

“Like all of you, I have followed the story of our national children’s hospital with hope, excitement and pride. What a day this is! Everyone who has contributed to this hospital, big or small, can be proud that the children of Wales will forever have access to the best possible care, thanks to the work of Noah’s Ark and all its supporters, worldwide.”